Recounting Steps
by thesassylorax
Summary: Part Three! Randall Boggs faces serious jail time, or a stint in a mental ward, while the CDA prepares to run tests to ensure the authenticity of his apparent amnesia. Sulley, however, feels such environments won't help Randall's cause at all.
1. Alarm

**Authors Note: **Shout out to my friend BoneHatter over on tumblr who inspired me to write this little story. Thank you, my dear!

* * *

"Yeah keep the doors comin , I tell ya I m on a roll today!"

"Hey did you check out his new technique, I tell ya these new kids on the block,"

"I hear Wazowski's really climbing that new record,"

"Another day, another laugh track!"

"Oh man has any of you guys seen where we put those new funny glasses?"

The whole Laugh floor was a buzz of words, laughter, and music. It echoed in the large, echo friendly room and honestly James P. Sullivan could not feel any more proud or accomplished with himself with just how much had changed in only three short months. The darkness which had flooded and surrounded the scarers, while necessary in their roles as scarers, were now gone and replaced with bright sunlight streaming in through those giant windows that over looked their proceedings.

It was like a totally different company, with a whole new attitude and outlook. Those who worked here were happy to come to work, the monsters who were once known as scarers were now joy bringers and they couldn't be happier. "So, whaddya think? Huh? Huh?" He glanced down to see a (almost literally) glowing Mike standing before him.

"Hm? Think of what, Mike?" he asked as casually as he could, while glancing down at his clipboard which showed the reports that the new scare floor manager to replace Roz, named Stimes, had handed him that morning. Of course the chart was rapidly shooting upwards. He d be shocked if it was pointing anywhere but.

"Of the new all time laugh record of COURSE." Mike retorted.

"Of course that's what you were talkin about Mike. Not like you been talking about much else since, oh what. You became a joy bringer?" Sulley asked, somewhat sarcastically, as he looked down at his friend.

"Oh come on I ain't been talking about only that ya big lug."

"You know Mike, shocking as this may be to your little green invisible... ears (seriously where do you hide those things under your horns) I do have things to worry about outside of how high on the ladder you are with that thing! Besides, you know you got it in the bag. You re a natural at this." he reassured the other, "These other guys aren't even close to matching your numbers."

It wasn't like they had something like how he and Randall had been neck and neck at the scare record all that time ago. But oh man, that thought alone dropped that ugly anxiety stone into the pit of his stomach, and it must have shown since Mike suddenly looked worried.

"Oh hey yeah you got that meetin with the board of directors today don't ya?" he asked.

Normally, for any level headed monster, meeting with a group of distinguished monsters in power and having to answer any questions and put on a full presentation about how the company managing would be harrowing enough. On top of that lovely ice cream made of anxiety was the fact that Randall Boggs own father, the established Ozymandias Boggs was on the board of directors himself.

To say Sulley hadn't had the wind knocked out of him the day he was introduced to the monster would be the understatement of the century. Since, for one, Randall didn't look that similar to this father. The monster in question was fairly tall, but matched him in skin tone. He had four limbs, all long but matched the hands and feet that Randall was renown for, and he had similar eyes though his hid behind a pair of square glasses.

In fact, running into any of Randalls estranged family was a strange, gut churning experience for Sulley. Knowing the fate of your family member and being unable to tell them what happened to him was one of the most stressful feelings imaginable. Randalls father though, hadn't even brought up his missing son no matter how many times Sulley would see him in meetings. His nephew though, was another story.

Turns out Randall's sister-in-law worked in marketing and her four year old son, known as Rex, was taken care of at the creche during work hours. The little monster looked a lot like his uncle, save for the fact he had orange skin and only one prong above his head. When he had first run into the little kid, who immediately knew who he was, the little lizard had clung to his leg and asked him if he d seen his uncle Randy.

Sulley had never felt more messed up in his life but, as Mike reminded him, they had been instructed by head of the RDA to not disclose what had happened on that fateful day all those months ago.

Randall was simply gone. A missing monster. Monsters go missing every day in the world, Mike had said. Unsolved mysteries. Randall was just another statistic, and they had to move on from that. It was for the best, since what would his family say, or do, if they learned the truth behind his machine and how he d been plotting with Waternoose to kidnap children to extract their screams to help the shortage of power?

Yes, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few but there was a line that had been pole-vaulted over if that line meant hurting innocent human children that were no more toxic to them than a butterfly.

"I tell ya Mike. Every time I see him I just." Sulley made a series of awkward hand gestures at the air which, of course, Mike understood.

"Easy there." he reached out and patted the polka-dotted monsters leg. "I know. I know, it ain't easy."

"Understatement." muttered Sulley.

"I know I know but you gotta "

Mike's words of wisdom were interrupted when there came a distant ringing sound. Sulley stood up to his full height and looked around, as did the other workers on the laughter floor. That wasn't an alarm any of them were familiar with, at all.

"Uh what's that?" Sulley asked.

"I have no idea." Mike answered truthfully.

Stimes hurried out of his office up to Sulley, the striped purple monsters eyes wide as he held a new red book in his hand. "That's the internal alarm, sir"! he hissed to Sulley. "A doors been activated whilst in the hanger!" he added in urgency. It was a new feature installed after the 'incident', it seems, and was so new even Sulley hadn't been made full aware of its existence until now.

Sulleys eyes widened, and Mikes pupil dilated, at this bit of news. A door had been activated while being held in the storage system meant a monster was either trying to sneak into the human world, or sneak back into the monster world. Now, there were a few monsters who were known for being banished for legal reasons spreading from mail fraud to tax evasion, but they knew their crimes and their punishment.

The only monster that sprang to mind who was in the human world who may well try to fight their way back into theirs was "Randall." Sulley whispered to himself before shoving past Mike, and George, running towards the back lot of the factory where all of the doors were kept. Mike was in hot pursuit of course, ignoring any and all stares from their fellow monsters.

"You don't think!" Mike gasped to keep up with Sulleys long, powerful strides with his own shorter strides.

"Oh I think Mike. Think about it, _we_ made it back!" Sulley shot back as they made their way down a hall way, passing steaming pipes as they did. "But it's been so long!" shouted back the smaller monster.

"You know Randall, Mike," Sulley said as he slammed through some double doors and stumbled over his own feet and looked up, and around, as if he could see just where the door in question was despite the building being so huge. "He is _very_ stubborn."

"Man so wait, wait. Two human minutes equal what, two days for us?" Mike asked, counting on his fingers. "He's been gone like three months our time " he frowned. "Darn it I was _good_ at maths once!" he lamented at the loss.

Sulley was no longer listening, instead he was hurrying to the closest worker who was on the phone with someone. It was a green monster wit long legs, and skin like scales. A recognizable monster. Betty! Sulley rushed over to her, and she immediately hung up the phone.

"Betty where's the door?"

"They're bringing it in. It could have been a malfunction, though!" she said back,

"Why didn't we think about that?" Mike asked Sulley. "A malfunction, those happen right?"

"Why're you two back here for something like this any way?" Betty asked, "You that invested, Sulley?" she laughed.

"Oh yeah he's got a meeting today. Gotta keep them board guys impressed, don't you know?" Mike spoke up, leaning around Sulleys form to grin up at Betty.

Betty made an understanding face and patted his shoulder in a comforting manner. Don't worry so much Sulley, your fur s gonna go silver early if you worry too much! Then what ll all the lady monsters think? she grinned, trying to help relieve some of the stress her friend was obviously under.

"Ha ha right now I m really not thinking about that sorta thing to be honest." Sulley replied dryly, before looking back upwards, trying to spot the door which was being brought in.

"Honestly he never is I mean what s the big deal with that," Mike could be heard just out side of Sulleys attention span, talking to Betty now about how his best friend had never been the type to go out on dates with anyone at least not since university when he was some kind of expert on the scene. Man, back then he was on a date every other night when he wasn't avoiding study. And another thing...

That's when he finally spotted it. A single door riding along the rails, the red circle above the door brightly lit as it made its merry way. There was no monster hanging from it. It was not open. It was just on, for some strange reason. Sulley grabbed the railing nearest him as he watched it zoom past on its way to the maintenance room and, despite Mike and Betty talking so close to him, he took off again following the door.

Sure, it probably was just a broken door turning itself on because of faulty wiring. But he, like majority of monsters, had very strong gut instincts when it came to things and when your gut was crunching in on itself in worry or fear you normally went with it which is what Sulley was doing. He ignored Mike's calls from behind as he approached the collection of monsters who were watching as the door was slowly being lowered after being collected from the rail.

They, like Betty, looked confused as to why Sulley was back here but didn't have time to question it since they had a job to do. They had to turn the door off before anything could slip through. Of course children were no longer a toxic threat but that still didn't mean they wanted one falling through into their world, or even a pet. Naturally the CDA would get involved only now they d work at returning the child, or pet, back where it would belong.

"All right lets have a look here," said a spiked monster going by the name of Bob, reaching up to tap the glowing light. "Everyone stand back," he said as a clawed hand grabbed the door and slowly turned the handle but when he tried to push it he found he couldn't. "What the..."

And then the monster who, up until that point, had been invisible suddenly materialized in front of him. The monster, long, lizard like, and purple, was clinging to the door so even if Bob had pushed forward all he would have run into was his stomach incapable of going any further.

The monsters all gasped and stepped back and Sulley swore he felt his jaw hit the ground.

"Randall." he mouthed as the lizard like monster clung to the door, those familiar squinting green eyes open wide mirroring the look of shock that his appearance had caused right back at everyone around him.

_To be continued_


	2. Recovery

The stunned silence finally shattered when Randall Boggs, last seen being thrown through a wooden door by Mike and Sulley, slipped and tumbled off of the door he'd ridden in on. He yelped as he landed before immediately getting to his feet again and, to Sulley's surprise, smiled at the monster closest to him.

"Finally!" he gasped, rushing forward and grabbed Bob's hand in all four of his upper arms, shaking it eagerly. "Other monsters! Oh man alive you got no idea how happy I am to see you!"

"Uhhhh..." Bob said, smartly, as Randall Boggs shook his arm so much it could fall off.

Sulley watched this with unblinking eyes as Randall released Bob only to move onto another worker, once more eagerly shaking every monsters hands in turn as he approached them. He'd ask them their name, smile seemingly locked in place, and even going so far to ask 'So how's the family?' when hearing one monster's name.

"Sulley? Sulley! What was up with that huh runnin' off I tell ya keep this up and everyone'll think you're... rude...?" Mike, having finally caught up with Sulley, finally saw around him and his singular eye widened in size when he saw the familiar shape of Randall shaking some poor workers arm in greeting. He gasped and stepped back, even going so far to grab Sulley's arm as he did. "SULL."

"I know." Sulley replied, not turning around.

"_SULL_!" Mike insisted again.

"Mike!" Sulley turned his head, glaring down at his friend.

"It's **_RANDALL_**."

"I can _see_ that, Mike. Everyone can see that."

"Whadda we gonna do we gotta contact Roz, get the CDA down here, call the cops, call the National Guard, the-"

"Heya you two, now what are you doing standing over here all alone?"

Mike, literally, jumped when he realized Randall was suddenly standing alongside the two. He held his hands up to guard himself as he stumbled back, tripped over his own feet and wound up on his rear while Sulley took a surprised step back.

"Whoa careful there buddy you don't wanna hurt yourself!" Randall said, stepping towards Mike with hands out reaching to help him up.

"Stay back!" Mike yelped, getting to his feet and once more zipping around Sulley to put him between himself and the monster lizard.

"Oh good you're great! That's great." smiled the lizard before he looked up at Sulley and smiled again, the tip of his tail swaying. "Whoa you're a big guy, ain't ya?"

Sulley was silent for a moment as he just looked at Randall. He seemed... all right, didn't he? Wait, no. Were those scars? Marks to his body? In some places his purple skin seemed lighter in comparison. He'd been hurt. A part of him thought good, yes, he deserved it but this Randall right now didn't seem as if he deserved anything. Nothing bad, at least. "Uh, thanks."

"What's wrong with your buddy there, is he shy?" Randall asked, pointing around to Mike while glancing at him, then back up at Sulley.

"You. You could say that?" Sulley asked.

"Well!" suddenly his four hands were grasping Sulley's single hand, shaking it in greeting. "It's nice ta meet ya, friend! What's your name?"

"...Sulley. My friends cal me Sulley, but my name's James P. Sullivan."

Randall paused a moment before he smiled. "Well, great to meet you James! I'd tell you my name but I really don't rightly remember it!"

"What?" Sulley asked.

"_LIES!_" Mike suddenly cried, moving in front of Sulley as if he were now defending his much larger, stronger friend. "I don't believe you Randall. None of us do! This happy greeting attitude whaddya think this is, university again?"

"Randall?" he asked, curious.

"That's your name." Sulley offered. "Randall. Randall Boggs."

"Don't play into his mind games, Sull! Once you're in, you're lost. Like a maze. A labyrinth of pure evil!"

Of course it was an awkward thing but what became even more so was getting Randall out of there. It was obvious something was wrong, despite Mike insisting that it was an evil plot by the other. Sulley in turn had to contact the CDA and reach Rozz again, while Mike had to get Randall somewhere secure since they weren't so keen on the idea of having everyone in the whole factory finding out that he was back after having been gone for so long.

Lucky for them though Randall was incredibly eager to please. He smiled and nodded and listened, and soon he was standing in Sulley's office and boy did he look out of place. Upon the walls were magazine covers, articles, pie charts and a framed child's drawing. Seemed the lizard monster was most curious about the drawing, looking at it with keen interest, as Mike and Sulley stood outside the door.

"So, what's she say?" Sulley asked, looking down at Mike who had been the one to slip away to contact Rozz as soon as he physically could.

"She says to keep him here under observation, and after work she and a few 'special enforcers' are gonna come round." Mike explained.

"What just keep him locked up in my office all day?" he did not like the sound of this. "Plus what do we do about those other guys who saw him-"

"Already taken care of, Rozz said." that probably meant some form of threat or bribery was happening as they spoke. Ah, the good old CDA. Never change.

Sulley still didn't like this. Randall, alone in his office, all day? He began to push the door open and peer into the room and at first he didn't see Randall and he felt a panic rise in his chest before he spotted him in his chair. Messing with something. The newspaper? Suddenly a paper air plane flew through the air, soaring before landing among a pile of already flown air planes.

"Oh!" Randall sat up in the chair, "Hey there James," he got out of the chair and made his way over to the pile, smiling awkwardly as he began to collect his things. "Sorry."

"Oh hey no it's. It's fine you're doing no harm..." Sulley found this so insanely weird and unnatural. Randall should be screaming his head off at him. Randall should be threatening bodily harm for tossing him into the human world. Randall should be demanding to be let home but instead here he is, happy as Larry, making paper planes. "So um. Do you want anything, are you hungry? Thirsty?" he offered.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving!" the lizard monster replied, looking up at Sulley, and smiled the kind of smile he hadn't seen on the other monsters face in a very long time. It brought back memories of university, how he would sometimes spot the monster sitting with Mike and the two being general 'nerds' (to the old him at least) together as they studied. How genuinely happy he looked to be around a friend before... well. Stuff happened.

"Okay great I can go grab you something from the cafeteria no problem." Sulley replied, backing out of the room. "Just. Don't go anywhere okay?"

"Sure thing!" Randall beamed as the door was shut on him.

"This is weirding me out." Sulley muttered to Mike.

"It's like an episode of the Twilight Zone or something." Mike agreed, then glanced up as Sulley walked past him. "Whoa wait where are you going?"

"He's hungry. I'm grabbing him something to eat." Sulley answered without turning around.

"You can't leave him unguarded what if he tries to make a daring get away? Wait, shoot! Are your windows locked from the inside or outside-wait what windows are locked from the outside tat's nuts-but like I said he could escape!" Mike hurried after him, expression one of worry.

"Mike!" he spun, lookin down at his friend. "I don't know what's wrong but that, in there?" he pointed to the room. "Is not the Randall Boggs we know. Not the same Randall Boggs who did all the terrible stuff we remember him doing. Something is seriously wrong and he is happy and complacent and willing to do anything you ask him to. If you're so worried about him breaking out, you watch him, cuz I got food to grab and then go sing and dance for the board of the directors for this company which," he pulled up a claw, "I need remind you, his father is on?"

Mike exhaled in annoyance, and folded is arms. "Yeah sure fine go run off, leave me guard duty. That's fair."

Sulley was grateful to get away from Mike's paranoia for a minute and escape into the cafeteria, that's for sure.

The meeting had been the same song and dance routine as the rest of course it had, but Sulley now had a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach as he sat there being talked to by the board of directors. Male and female monsters alike, all older than him, more experienced in life and what running a business meant, and most important of all... Randall Bogg's father sitting right there among them.

How could he keep this bottled up? How was it possible for him to ignore the fact that he had the man's son, who had been missing for months, sitting in his office happily eating cheese and macaroni and bread rolls? Or guzzling fizzy drink?

He has a right to know and yet Rozz had ordered to not let anyone else know. That speaking word of Randall's return was a federal offence and she'd 'hate' to lock them away for giving out vital information regarding the 'incident'. The fact he had to hide this from Randall's own family, a family which had reacted to his loss as any family would. There'd been posters, alerts on the news about the missing monster, and every time it came on Sulley felt a blade twist into him.

He hadn't asked for this. But had any of them, really? Honestly if Mike had done his paperwork would they have uncovered the plot? Would Boo have wound up hurt, or worse? Would the scream shortage have mysteriously eased off, and no monster would be the wiser? It was horrifying to think about. And a very painful thing to sit on, and live with.

"Good work Sullivan," the voice of Ozymandias Boggs snapped Sulley out of his thoughts and he looked to the monster in question, who was removing his glasses. "A promising first half of your year in charge. We can expect good things from you."

Sulley nodded his head as he got to his feet, legs bumping on the table and causing it to scrape forward. This in turn upturned the glasses on the table, spilling them, and caused the other boards of directors to get to their feet. From beyond the door one could hear the shouts of surprise and Sulley's hurried apologies, which is what a monster stood outside the door overheard.

This monster was Lance, Peter Lance and he was a monster who was technically Sulley's second monster in command. While Mike was, naturally, Sulley's assistant Nate was the monster who would take Sullivan's place in case of emergencies. Or in case the other monster was fired. He'd been working under Waternoose for years, and when this 'young upstart' had taken Waternoose's place because of some back handed dealings which he was sure of.

His tentacle arms curled around the clipboard he was holding as the door was thrust open and Sulley came tripping out, looking embarrassed as any thing. Peter slid closer to the CEO and put on his best smile. "So it went well, I take it?" he asked innocently enough, though one could easily see the tightly held back distrust in his three eyes.

"Yeah great. Absolutely... great..." Sulley muttered as he patted at his stomach and lap where some water had spilled, grumbling as he did. If his mind was on the topic at hand, that wouldn't have happened. Instead here he was worrying about Randall and little else.

"Right. Sir, I got word of an incident happening in the holding area this morning...?" he had heard whispering, as it was prone to happen in companies for little stories to sneak between tightly clasped claws to freedom and eventually slither their way into multiple employees ears.

Sully immediately straightened and looked side ways at Peter.

"Ah, well. There was. A door! Yeah, a door see and it was malfunctioning. Darn thing turned itself on in the middle of the day and everything! If we hadn't, uhm. Activated that new security alarm who knows wat may have happened so I gotta head back to my office," which Sulley began to do, backing up, not even turning around to look where he was going until having spoken about the topic at hand. "I got some things to do."

And then he was gone, zipping around a corner, and was out of sight but hardly out of mind. Peter began to follow but stopped since the board of directors had begun to slowly walk out of the boardroom, talking among one another as they did. Peter, spotting Mr. Boggs, took a moment to approach him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Boggs?" he asked.

"Hm? Yes, what is it?" Ozymandias turned from the female monster he'd been speaking to in order to look down at the tentacled, multi-eyed monster before him.

"Is there any news in regards to your son Randall's disappearance?" Peter asked.

Immediately Ozymandias frowned. As he rightly should since this monster was suddenly familiar, since he was the same one who had been asking him this same question any time he saw him. What was going on privately within his family was his business and his alone and he never felt comfortable detailing what was going on.

Of course they were still hoping, still looking, still waiting for any kind of news. There was a missing monster report with the police across the nation, asking that if anybody had seen tail or scale of Randall Boggs to report immediately. Any kind of information was to be greeted with a cash reward but very early on they had realized some monsters were that low down and dirty they were lying about seeing him.

Suddenly, Randall was popping up all over the country. One day he'd be in New Yikes, the other he'd be in Scream Valley, or at Mount Screechmore. It was obvious they were lying about his location which broke his family's heart to realize these 'fresh leads' were nothing but stale lies. So the search had continued, only promise of money was kept hush hush so if any actual true information came forward they would rightly pay the reporting monster.

"If there were, Mr Lance, I'm certain you'd be the _first_ to hear it." he said, carefully, with great meaning behind every word. "Now if you excuse me." the tall monster turned to walk away.

"I'm just saying it, it's horrible what happened to him. The fact he vanished without a trace-!" Peter began but stopped when Ozymandias turned back to look at him, those eyes that were so similar to Randall's own, narrowing.

"Yes. As you have claimed in the past. Now. If you excuse me. I do have other business to deal with today." he said, voice grating, straining to be kept calm and cool and professional but a temper that could out do even Randall's own tugged to be let loose like a dog on a chain.

"...yes. Sir. Sorry, sir." Peter stepped back, his tentacles curling in on themselves.

He watched as Mr Boggs turned away and left, sighing as he did. Well... that went great. Sighing, Peter turned away and moved down the hall way towards his own office where paperwork awaited him. Really now, he felt as if he was the only monster alive who was really questioning just how and why Randall Boggs had vanished. It had been around the time of Waternoose getting arrested and thrown in jail. The reports said embezzlement, but he expected otherwise. There'd been things going on, things behind the scenes, he was sure of it.

It may have been three months but he was sure he was going to get to the bottom of this. Randall Boggs' disappearance was connected to Sulley's sudden rise to power somehow, he just knew it.

"...you doing okay, there?"

Sulley, and Mike who had kept watch at the door of his office, now stood within the cozy office to see Randall Boggs curled up in his big office chair, half asleep. Hearing his voice the lizard monster instantly uncurled himself, sitting up straight, eyes wide and a grin on his face unlike any either monster had seen in over a decade.

"I'm doing great, buddy!" he announced, before suddenly scampering over the table with those multiple legs of his and barreled past Mike and Sulley, "You wanna know why? This is why!" he grabbed a handle and pulled the door open to reveal the private bathroom. "Would you take a look at this place it's so fancy! You have your own super secret restroom and everything!"

"It's just a rest room Randall," Mike said, narrowing his singular eye. "It's no big deal."

"No big deal. No big deal?" Randall was suddenly in Mike's face so fast the small round monster leaped back. The last time Randall was this close to him, things had not gone well. "Have you seen how fancy it is? And it has..." he reached out, grasping Mike's arms tightly. "A toilet."

"...Sullllleeeeyyy?" Mike slowly whined out, highly uncomfortable by Randall's grasping of him. Again, last time Randall touched him, well. There'd been pain involved.

"Okay Randall calm down," Sulley gently coaxed the lizard off of his friend. "There we go."

"But you guys don't understand I. I haven't seen a real toilet in what feels like forever! _Has_ it been forever? I don't know!" he enthused, clasping two sets of hands together. "And the toilet paper is so soft! Is it three ply, tell me it's three ply."

"It's... three ply?" Sulley guessed since, honestly, he didn't know. The cleaners changed the toilet rolls in here, not him.

"Argh pinch me I'm dreaming. This is a dream it's got to be," Randall gushed, moving away from the two before making his way to the window which would normally show outside. Now, however, it was drawn down, the shades blocking the view. The lizard reached out, fingers barely touching one of them to bend it ever so slightly to dare cast a peek outside at the bustling car park, green blotches which were trees, and the bright blue sky. "Just look at this place it's so... so beautiful."

"Okay seriously are we gonna ignore the fact he's acting battier than a cave full of bats?" Mike hissed to Sulley under his breath.

"Mike." the larger monster warned. "We just gotta keep an eye on him till-"

The door leading into the office was suddenly slammed open. Normally, a monster would knock before entering a room. This monster, however, had no reason to do such a thing. There she stood, arms folded simply over her chest, her thin, drooping yellow skin a familiar sight even if no monster here had seen her in the past three months. Rozz stood there, expression as etched in stone as always, her eyes slowly moving from Sulley to Mike, and then Randall.

"You were right to contact us, Sullivan." she said, voice wheezing and creaky as it ever was. "Long since have we been seeking out Mister Boggs here."

Behind her, suddenly, came more monsters but they weren't the CDA at least Sulley didn't think they were? They were dressed normally, for one, though some were carrying some heavy suitcases.

"Well hey there, how are yo-hey what are you doing?" Randall had been greeting some of the approaching monsters, only to have handcuffs suddenly snapped down onto two of his sets of hands. "Hey...?"

"What're you doing to him?" Sulley demanded since, well. This was his office. Sure Rozz probably had more power than he did but still!

The slug woman turned her steely gaze to Sulley and he felt what confidence and superiority he may have felt over her shatter in an instant. Even back when she was behind that window at the entrance way to the Scare floor she'd been an intimidating force that you did not want to wrong, or mess with. 'My way or the highway' a little poster on the glass read and it rung true to this day.

She cleared her throat, slowly. "We're doing the proper thing, Sullivan. Randall Boggs is to answer for the crimes he committed... and face jail time."

_To be continued_


	3. Deal

"Jail time?" Randall asked, voice cracking as he spoke.

"Jail time?" Sulley, as well, asked though his voice sounded more bewildered and maybe even a little angry. "You can't do that,"

"Need I _remind_ you as to the serious allegations held against Mister Boggs?" Roz asked, as she slowly slimed her way closer to him, eyes narrowing as she spoke. "The child endangerment? The corruption? The attempted murder? The battery against not only yourself but Mister Wazowski?"

"Yeah Sull c'mon, this is the law you can't go against the law." Mike said, voice softer now, trying to calm down his friend who (in his mind) had no reason to be so upset about this at all.

"Yeah I remember, of course I do, but look at him!" Sulley gestured to the lizard monster who was staring at the wrist cuffs as if they were a death sentance. "Is he acting right to you? He's been nothing like the Randall Boggs I know since he got here!"

"He has, has he?" Roz arched a thin eyebrow as she turned her gaze upon the monster in question who, upon seeing he was being stared at, froze. She slowly made her way over to him. "Tell me your name." she said.

"M-my name?" Randall asked.

"Yes. Your name. What is it." she had dealings with Randall, of course she had. She had seen him every day on the scare floor being pompous and self absorbed, and in those weeks leading up to the 'incident' he had become incredibly snappy and over all cruel towards his assistant Fungus Ooz.

The drastic change in personality was later stated to have been caused by internal stress in creating the scream extractor, though she had her doubts.

"I-I uh.. He. Gosh uh James just told me a while ago but you all, you've kind of startled me I really, that is to say, I don't. I don't know... m-my name." Randall rambled and spluttered before lowering his head, looking absolutely ashamed of himself.

"We've had criminals feign ignorance or amnesia in the past." Roz said as she nodded to one of the monsters standing besides Randall. The monster immediately set down a briefcase he'd been holding and pulled out a stethoscope and a ear checker. "Your crimes are rated fairly high in our books, and either way you would be looking at a lengthy jail time."

"Yeah good." Mike muttered to himself, before he was hushed by Sulley.

"I, I'm sorry I... I don't remember what I did..." Randall said before he squeaked since the monster to his side suddenly shoved the small black device into his ear canal; a tiny hole on the side of his head. "Ahh man you wanna warm that thing first...!" the monster, who had four arms, moved his second set to press the stethoscope to Randall's chest listening to his heart.

"He does show signs of injury," the monster to Randall's other side observed. "Scarring. Some scratches. This here looks like a nasty burn scar." he pointed out the lightened skin, and how it ran along the left side of Randall's body. "Looks like he got burned pretty bad."

There was also some entry and exit wounds. Bullets? Whatever it was Randall Boggs had lived through in the human world, it must have been something traumatic. Perhaps even traumatic enough to trigger his mind to closing his door on not only the incident, but a god chunk of his life at the same time.

Roz observed the injuries, scoping the damage. The burn scar was relatively new, from what she could see. The other scars seemed faded, old. Once again the way time flowed between the two worlds would confuse any other monster but not her. She understood how one minute equaled one human day and Randall Boggs had been gone almost three entire months.

Monsters, also, banished to the other side of the doors however remained aging the same rate as monsters on their side. Randall could very well have spent fifteen years running around the human world but his body would have only aged three simple months since that's how is clock was working on the original side of the door. Add to that the fact monsters had very long life spans, well... a monster banished to the human side may well be alive for hundreds of years over there.

"Well?" she asked the investigating monster, who just put his tools away.

"I say it'd be best to hook him up to a lie detector and work out if he's telling the truth, or lying. Maybe run further tests. Psychoanalyze him. See what's really going on in his thinker."

She nodded.

"Where will he stay while that's happening?" Sulley spoke up, mildly surprising Roz (though it hardly showed) since she had almost forgotten about Sulley standing there, as well as Mike.

"A high security ward, Sullivan." she answered simply. "We can't afford to detain him anywhere else. And before you bring up the subject of family, concerning who his father _is_ we need to break this information to him slowly. He and the rest of the Boggs family have no idea to which the lows Randall stooped."

Sulley frowned a little, looking to Randall who seemed as though he may cry any second. He was obviously scared, confused, rattled and now being threatened with a jail cell while they conducted these 'tests'.. well. It seemed hardly fair, or right.

"Well. What about if _we_ watched him?" Sulley asked.

"What?" Mike asked.

"What?" Randall asked.

"What." Roz said.

"I mean... it. It isn't right to throw him into a place like that. He's been stuck in the human world for who knows how long, he's scared! I can't. I mean. I know what he did was wrong, really wrong, I mean I know since I was on the receiving end but what I did was just as wrong. We banished him without any kind of trial and the fact Waternoose is sitting in a jail cell still tells me he would have faced the same fate. We did this to him," he gestured to himself and Mike, before holding his hand out towards Randall. "Now look at him. He deserves to be in a place were he can properly belong and who knows maybe his memories will come back themselves, before theses tests of yours even happen!"

Roz pursed her painted lips together as she looked at him, slowly, while Mike looked at Sulley as if he grew a second head.

"A-and maybe being around us will help dislodge his memory too I mean, we all knew each other in university. Mike was is room mate even. Add to that our... kind of... rivalry it could help him remember things. Locking him away just may do the opposite for him. Is... is all I'm. Saying." he trailed off into silence because wow he had been rambling hadn't he?

Randall, meanwhile, was staring at Sulley with wide (well as wide as a squinting lizard monster could without his glasses) eyes. This James guy was offering this, really? Offering him a place to stay that wasn't jail? Or a mental ward? Honestly, there may well be a gathering of monster angels playing harms while the polka-dotted monster stood beneath a beam of heavenly light.

"It's unorthodox to allow this sort of thing." Roz said, bluntly. "But you raise some important points." she frowned. "We would have to attach a tracker to one of his legs to ensure he doesn't leave your establishment unless cleared beforehand. Randall Boggs _is_ a criminal and needs to answer to his actions but we can hardly hold him accountable when he can't remember his name."

She turned, looking at Randall, who managed to pull his gaze from Sulley to look back at the woman. "These are new times for all of us. So, these are the rulings. You are to be placed in the care of Sullivan and Wazowski," Mike almost interjected saying he didn't want a thing to do with this but his words were smothered by Sulley's hand, "where you will remain during the psychoanalysis you shall undergo and any further tests. A monitoring device is to be affixed to your leg and it can never be removed without proper authorization, or you will face a fine and time in jail. No leaving the premises unless cleared two working days beforehand. Are we understood, Mister Boggs?"

Randall looked over the slug monster woman for but a moment before he nodded is head rapidly, clasping his two hands together desperately. "Yes! Yes I understand. I won't leave their place without authorization! I'll do anything, please. Yes. Thank you, _thank you_!"

Before Roz knew anything the criminal known as Randall Boggs was grasping at her, pressing quick, fast kisses against her face. She gasped and pushed him back, grateful when the two other men grabbed the lizard and hauled him back. "...very well." Roz said, dryly, turning her attention back to Sulley, and Mike, who still didn't look happy at all. "Gentlemen. The paperwork will be filled and Randall Boggs will be moved to your place of residence."

"What, just like that-" Mike started, but was cut off when the monster to Randall's left opened his suite case and quickly pulled out some paper. He scribbled rapidly, amending, signing, initializing and handed a copy to Roz who looked it over. She took a pen, wrote her own signature upon it, and thrust it into Mike's hands.

"Sign here." she said.

"Now just a minute!" the single eyed monster yelped. "I never agreed to this! I am NOT having that psycho-maniac living in my apartment!"

"Technically it's mine." Sulley pointed out. Since it was true. Sulley had bought the apartment himself and Mike paid his half of things so they kept things covered nicely. Course, now that he was a CEO the two didn't have to worry so much about keeping on top of bills anymore, but the property remained in James P Sullivan's name.

Mike looked up at Sulley, eye wide. "You're serious. You really.. You want _him_. In the apartment?"

"Mike I. I can't hang onto the past like this?" the taller monster asked weakly. "He did wrong, yeah we know but. We don't know the circumstances if he was made to do it or if it was his plan or what!"

"He tried to KILL us. Multiple times! And Boo, what about her? Fixing her up to that machine-"

"Mister Wazowski?"

Turning, Mike saw Randall still stood between the two other monsters, hands still tightly clutching at one another. His expression one of total fear, as well as concern.

"...what?" Mike asked, hesitantly.

"I don't... I don't know, what it is that I did to make you so angry. Or to make you so hesitant in taking me in, like this but. Please. I beg of you, I don't wanna go to jail. I don't want to go to some place where I'll be thrown in with.. with.. you know! I don't remember anything, and you seem to know so much about me...! You could help me remember right? Then, then I can work through it! Through the bad stuff, cuz... cuz I can be a good monster." he hesitated a moment. "...can't I?"

Mike groaned and rolled his eye, and huffed to himself. Randall. Randy. Once his friend, his study buddy, the only other 'small' student in the Scare Program just like him. How they both stood out among the horrifying, tall, messy monsters in the class alongside them. They'd been close, that first semester.

How quickly it had ended though. Whose fault was it, really? All Randall's, or had his own actions brought about their drifting apart? Either way, he couldn't be blamed for Randall plotting to kidnap innocent children to suck the screams from their bodies forcefully rather than naturally. That was pure, twisted malice.

The monster standing here, though, it wasn't Randall. It was a shadow of Randall. Who he could have been, if life had been nicer, more ideal for the multi-limbed monster. He sighed, heavily, and thrust the paperwork up at Sulley. "Fine." he said, bluntly. "But one mess up, and he's on the special bus."

"You're all heart, Mike." Sulley smiled, picking up the pen and wrote his name down, before signing away. How had these monsters had the paperwork so swift at hand? Did they anticipate something like this happening? Just how well prepared WERE the CDA? Roz seemed to always have her finger on the pulse of things going on (or wrong) in the company all those years so he really shouldn't be that surprised.

The rest of the afternoon went surprisingly smoothly. Randall, of course, stayed in Sulley's office only now he had a nice new ankle bracelet locked around his bright right foot's ankle. It was black, of course, and attached to it was a small little black box which transmitted Randall's location right to the CDA at any given moment.

Just how they got Randall to Mike's car outside at the end of the day was a mystery. But into the backseat he climbed, looking as excited as a dog was when being taken for a nice, long drive. After shutting the door, careful not to slam it on the end of Randall's long blue tail, Mike and Sulley exchanged looks.

"...this is weird, isn't it?" Sulley asked, quietly.

"Oh. NOW it's weird?" Mike asked.

"Mister Sullivan!"

At the voice, Sulley spun around and immediately pressed himself against the side of the car, blocking any view one might get of Randall from this point of view. Never mind the fact anyone could see Randall from the other sides, or that he could go invisible if he so wanted to. "Peter!" Sulley said through strained teeth. Great.

"Just thought I'd wish you a good evening." the tentacled, horned monster smiled simply. "It was a busy day after all, and thankfully that malfunctioning door was the only one today, hm?" he asked.

"Oh. Yeah! Certainly. We don't want to go losing any doors now." smiled the CEO awkwardly. Mike rolled his eye slowly. This kiss up plus Sulley's awful lying capabilities was making for a painful viewing.

"Indeed." Peter smiled. "Though do you know where in the world it came from?" he asked, posing it in such a way to show he knew exactly where it was from.

"No. No I haven't seen that paperwork." Sulley said, trying to remain upbeat, casual, and certainly not harboring a criminal in his friends backseat.

"America, Louisiana." the other monster answered without even being asked for the information. "An area known for having swamps surrounding the main town, where this door specifically came from. Outskirts, really." Peter shrugged. "Just felt you should be informed."

"Right. Yes. Well!" Sulley had slid along the car, pawing at the handle and jerked it open before climbing into the front passenger seat while Mike had already gotten into the drivers seat. It was law that Mike drove his own car and nobody else dare even suggest the possibility of driving it. "Have a great weekend Peter later now!"

And with that, Mike hit the accelerator and the car and it roared to life and drove away from the three eyed monster who stood in the car park, raising one of his three eyebrows. Louisiana. That was an interesting place. Three months ago a door leading to that area had been destroyed. How? Shattered to pieces, having fallen over the railings it had been poorly propped against.

It just seemed... interesting... that this happened around the time of Randall Boggs' disappearance. And now suddenly a door from the exact same area had been activated.

Curious, really.

"Oy that guy gives me the creeps." Mike shuddered as he drove.

"Pete's not that bad he's just. Enthusiastic about what he does. Wants the company to be the best it can be and honestly who doesn't want that?" Sulley asked.

"So do you two live far?" Randall's voice made Mike jump since he had honestly forgotten about him being back there. The lizard was looking to Sulley as he spoke.

"Ah, not too far no! Don't worry," Sulley turned in his seat a little, looking back at the lizard monster. "You'll settle in super fast and who knows, maybe being around us will help you remember things."

Mike, however, still didn't know if Randall remembering everything wold be a good thing. Especially if he was living with them. Sulley may be fast to forgive but Mike was not a monster to forget. He was going to keep his eye on this lizard, you could bet your bottom dollar on that.

_To be continued_


End file.
